The
minute Caroline Byrd laid eyes on the Rockies, she knew
they were the place for her. That was nearly 20 years ago
and Caroline is still in the Rockies and she's working
hard to protect a big piece of them.

As staff attorney for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, Caroline
quite often finds herself battling to save the Yellowstone
Ecosystem--a vast chunk of public and private lands surrounding
and including Yellowstone National Park--from various environmental
threats. Perhaps fittingly, Caroline first came to NOLS
as a student on a Yellowstone ski course in the park in
1984, then she returned to take the NOLS instructors course
the next year. The school fueled her desire to educate,
and in turn, her desire to protect the environment. The
latter led her to law school while the former led her to
teach many different types of NOLS courses.

Even today, her early experience at NOLS proves invaluable
in her job, says Caroline.

"NOLS provides such excellent training for educators
because you learn how to make your ideas make sense," says
Caroline. "I have an incredible advantage because
I've been trained and have learned how to communicate the
best possible message in the most effective way. NOLS taught
me how to get right to the heart of the matter and that
helps in my work today."

Environmental advocacy is nothing new for Caroline. She
was a founding member of what became the Alliance for the
Wild Rockies in Montana and has been an environmental leader
ever since. Even though Caroline is more likely to be filing
appeals these days, she still finds time to get in the
outdoors. This past spring, Caroline joined the Women's
Century Expedition, the first all women's ascent of Cho
Oyu, an 8,210M peak on the Nepal/Tibet border. She also
finds the time to get out and teach the occasional NOLS
course.

"NOLS instructors are the best teachers I've been
around," she says. "And the wilderness, of course,
is the best classroom in the world."